Chicken Scallopini

Golden pan seared chicken cutlets nestled in a bed of bright and creamy white wine infused sauce make this chicken scallopini recipe one of my favorite easy stovetop meals!

Why this recipe works

Chicken scallopini might sound fancy, but it’s a lot easier to make than you would think. The whole base of this dish is built around thin chicken cutlets that are lightly breaded and seared for a golden crust. But the real star is that gorgeous cream sauce highlighted with briny capers, bright lemon juice, and a little earthiness from the mushrooms balanced out with dry white wine.

Anywho, I said easy. And I meant it. Give your cutlets a quick dip in some flour, sear them, then work on that sauce in a skillet. It’s quite similar to chicken piccata, where all the ingredients work together to make one heck of a flavorful dish without much effort. I absolutely loved this dish. It’s bright, refreshing, and a nice switch-up from your everyday chicken dinner.

Ingredients you will need

Get all measurements, ingredients, and instructions in the printable version at the end of this post.

Ingredient Info and Substitution Suggestions

CHICKEN – For this recipe, you’ll want to either pound your chicken breasts thin, or slice them in half to make cutlets. Thin chicken means it’ll cook quickly and evenly in the skillet, especially when it’s coated in flour.

WINE – Scallopini sauce is pretty rich, which is why dry white wine works so well here. The acidity from the wine cuts through the butter and heavy cream helping the sauce taste a little lighter and brighter. I would suggest either Pinot grigio, Sauvignon Blanc, or Chardonnay. You can substitute the wine with equal amounts of chicken broth if needed.

ADDITIONS – The mushrooms add a nice earthy element alongside the briny capers, lemon juice, and creamy sauce. You can omit them if you aren’t a fan. The same goes for the capers. I personally LOVE the saltiness and the flavor that capers bring to a dish!

How to Make Chicken Scallopini

These step by step photos and instructions are here to help you visualize how to make this recipe. You can Jump to Recipe to get the printable version of this recipe, complete with measurements and instructions at the bottom.

1. Trim excess fat from chicken. Cut each chicken breast in half horizontally, splitting each into two thinner cutlets.
2. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together flour, pepper, garlic salt, and onion powder.
3. Dredge each chicken cutlet in the flour mixture, coating both sides. You will not use all the flour mixture. Set aside.
4. Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add chicken cutlets and brown on both sides, about 10-12 minutes. Remove chicken but don’t clean out skillet.
5. Add butter to the skillet along with garlic and onion, cook for a minute to soften onion. Pour in white wine and capers and bring to a gentle boil.
6. Add chicken base, lemon juice, and mushrooms. Stir to combine.
7. Reduce heat to low. In a small bowl or measuring cup, combine water and cornstarch to make a slurry. Pour into the skillet and stir to thicken.
8. Add the heavy cream and stir to combine. Nestle the chicken back into the skillet to heat through.

Frequently Asked Questions & Expert Tips

You can thicken your sauce by using a cornstarch slurry, as we did here. This step is optional and doesn’t affect the flavor at all. If you prefer, you can leave it out and simply simmer the mixture longer to thicken.

Cream can separate if cooked over too high of heat. So be sure to keep the heat low during the last step!

Yes, of course. Though, dry white wine adds a lot of flavor and a good touch of acidity to the sauce, helping balance the richness of the heavy cream base. You can substitute with an equal amount of chicken broth if desired.

Store any cooled leftovers in an airtight container kept in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Reheat gently on the stovetop over medium-low heat until warmed through.

In short, piccata refers to a specific kind of sauce (lemons, capers, wine, butter), whereas scallopini refers to the style of preparation. The two are similar, but chicken piccata almost always uses the same sauce and chicken scallopini is a broader type of recipe where you’ll see lots of different variations. For example, we add mushrooms and heavy cream to our sauce for richness, which makes it stand out from piccata.

Serving Suggestions

Serve your chicken scallopini over a bed of noodles (I love either fettuccine or linguine) or rice. The sauce is excellent over either!

Garnish with freshly chopped parsley, grated parmesan cheese, or some halved cherry tomatoes for color. Enjoy!

More Chicken Recipes

• Lemon Chicken
• Chicken Marsala
• Chicken Francese
• Chicken Florentine
• Crockpot Lemon Chicken

I love to bake and cook and share my kitchen experience with all of you! Remembering to come back each day can be tough, that’s why I offer a convenient newsletter every time a new recipe posts. Simply subscribe and start receiving your free daily recipes!